


Julie and The Phantoms One Shots

by SpacelessCass



Category: Julie and The Phantoms (TV)
Genre: Absent Parents, Angst, Best Friends, Bisexual Reggie Peters (Julie and The Phantoms), Child Neglect, Crying, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Glasses, Good Parent Ray Molina, Good Person Bobby | Trevor Wilson, Light Angst, Multi, One Shot, One Shot Collection, Ray Molina Adopts The Phantoms, Reggie Peters Angst (Julie and The Phantoms), Sad, Sad and Happy, Sad with a Happy Ending, Sleepovers, Songfic, Sunset Curve (Julie and The Phantoms), Swearing, sad hugs
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-28
Updated: 2021-02-22
Packaged: 2021-03-13 19:41:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,463
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29034108
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpacelessCass/pseuds/SpacelessCass
Summary: One shots and songfics for Julie and The Phantoms, my current favorite thing.
Relationships: Bobby | Trevor Wilson & Alex Mercer & Luke Patterson & Reggie Peters, Bobby | Trevor Wilson/Reggie Peters, Julie Molina & Luke Patterson, Julie Molina/Luke Patterson, Ray Molina & Reggie Peters
Comments: 12
Kudos: 47





	1. Glasses

**Author's Note:**

> Reggie needs glasses to see, but refuses to wear them. Bobby gets down to the bottom of the issue. (Set before the Orpheum)

Reggie's eyesight was awful.

This was nothing new to Bobby. For as long as he's known the bassist, he'd never been able to see for shit. Reggie was always walking around with his eyes squirted, running into chairs and tripping over curbs. Anytime Luke would write a new song and pass out copies to the rest of them to learn, Reggie would bring it up to his face and hold it about an inch or two away. Teachers had given up calling on him to answer problems written on the board because the poor guy just sat there and stared at them. They had written home many letters to Reggie's parents about the boy's eyesight, but never really got any helpful responses back. This was such a problem that two summers ago when the boys were walking down the beach, he completely missed a large piece of driftwood sticking up out of the sand and tripped over it, breaking his ankle. And if Bobby thought he had seen the worst of Alex being a worrywart before then, he hadn't seen anything until he saw the drummer carrying his injured bandmate all the way to Luke's house to get help from Emily, crying more than Reggie was.

So, yeah, pretty safe to say, the kid was in need of a good pair of glasses.

And Bobby thought this was going to be solved a month ago when Reggie had to miss a band practice to go with his mom to a eye doctor's appointment. But there he was, sheet music an inch from his face, squirting like that would make it any better. And honestly, it was starting to piss Bobby off. Don't get him wrong, he loved his boyfriend to the ends of the Earth, but there was only so much bullshit he could put up with. This was becoming more of a problem then ever. Last night when Reggie stayed over with him, they spent the entire time laying in the dark together, because the strain on his eyes was giving him a headache. Of course, Bobby didn't mind doing this for him. He loved being able to lay there quietly and just hold his boyfriend, his chin gently resting above Reggie's head while he buried his face in the crook of Bobby's neck. What he did mind was the fact Reggie was in pain because he wasn't wearing glasses he so desperately needed. Even Luke, oblivious fucking Luke, who spent more time with his head in his music journal then actually paying attention to everything around him, had noticed that this was such a problem and had started taking to writing Reggie's verses and notes bigger to try and help the bassist out. 

This all came to a head one night when Reggie and Bobby were hanging out in Bobby's garage. It was just the two of them - Luke was having a family dinner with his parents and Alex was dragged off to Wednesday Night Church by his - but they didn't mind. It was nice to have a fun little evening to themselves where they could goof off while they waited for his grandfather to get off work. Currently, they were up in the loft, Reggie fiddling around with the knobs on the little CD player they found up there with his tongue sticking out in concentration while Bobby was going through his grandmother's CDs. Cher, The Beatles, Johnny Cash, all kinds of music to choice from, if they ever got the stupid thing to work. Finally, after several minutes of silence, the player jumped to life, playing "Pleasant Valley Sunday" by The Monkees. Reggie let out an excited laugh, clearly happy with his handy work. 

"Nice work, Cowboy," Bobby smiled, planting a kiss on his boyfriend's head, "what do you want to listen to? Nana's got like a million CDs to choice from, so you've got endless possibilities to pick."

Reggie turned to face him, beaming like the sun. "Actually, I brought one for us to listen to. Kelly in Mr. Richard's class let me borrow her Dolly Parton album, we just have to be careful with it, because I promised her I'd return it in one piece. Can you grab it? It's in my bag, first pocket."

Bobby rolled his eyes. Of course Reggie wanted to listen to Dolly, she was basically his hero. He quickly jogged down the little stairs and over the garage door, where their backpacks were haphazardly thrown. Grabbing the red one off the top of the other, Bobby unzipped the first pocket, digging in the bag for the Dolly CD. Instead of the smooth plastic cover he was looking for, he felt thin wires in the bottom of the bag. Setting Reggie's backpack down, he pulled out what he found. A pair of thin frame glasses.

"Uh, Reg?"

"Yeah?"

"What are these?"

Reggie poked his head up over the railing, squirting at Bobby and the item he held in his hand. His eyes widened as he realized what his boyfriend was talking about.

"Shit, you weren't supposed to find those."

Bobby was at Reggie's side in seconds, glasses still gripped tightly in his hand. "What do you mean I wasn't supposed to find them? Reg, why the fuck have you been hiding your glasses? You need these to see, you're practically as blind as a bat without them. Dude, what the fuck? This is why you've been having headaches lately, not wearing them can do that. Not to mention seriously fuck up your eyesight later on."

Reggie frowned, looking down at the hard wood floor of the loft. Clearly, he was avoiding the question, which was pissing Bobby off.

"Are you afraid to wear them because you think we'll make fun of you? Dude, Alex has been wearing braces for the past two years, and we never say anything mean about that. Are you afraid people will pick on you at school? Because I will seriously find whoever makes fun of you and kick their ass. Doesn't matter if it's a senior, a teacher, or Dolly Parton herself, I will kick all their asses. Why don't you just wear-"

"Because they make me look like my dad."

Immediately, all the wind was taken out of Bobby's sails. Any question he had died on his lips. It was no secret that Reggie didn't have the best home life. Bobby couldn't even count how many times his boyfriend stayed the night at his house because his parents were arguing so loud there was no way he could sleep, how many times Reggie stayed as late as possible after band practice ended because he didn't want to go home, how many times they sat with him on the curb outside Luke's house because his parents had found something new to fight about and Luke's was the farthest away. God, Bobby remembered the look of udder defeat on his face when they came home from hanging out on the beach to find that his dad had smashed his bass during a rough argument with his mom about their son. There were so many bad memories there that Bobby didn't even know about, but could see the ware of them on his Cowboy's face, the pain in his pretty blue eyes, the way his shoulders hung like the weight of the world rested on them. It probably felt that way to Reggie.

"When I put them on, all I can see is him. His face where my blurry one used to be. I don't want to see him, I don't want to see him when I'm just trying to see the board or read a music staff. And... And I'm afraid... I'm afraid that eventually there won't be a difference between his face and mine. Because, if there's no difference there, what's to stop there being no difference between us. What's to stop me from becoming him." 

Reggie let out a watery sigh. "I don't want to be him."

Bobby was frozen, staring at his boyfriend who just bore his heart to him. He was speechless. What do you say to a person who is so wary from the world? There's nothing Bobby can say that would fix this, would fix Reggie's problems with his dad. He did look like his dad. Not entirely, but just enough for you to notice a resemblance. They had the same face shape, nose, and hair color, as well as glasses now, but Reggie had his mother's crystal blue eyes instead of his father's steely gray, and a splash of freckles sprinkled along the bridge of his nose. Bobby could imagine that with the glasses on, he would look strikingly similar to his dad. But that's not what he needed to hear right now.

Sinking down to the floor, he rapped an arm around his boyfriend's shoulders. "Reggie, you are nothing like your dad. You are nothing like that piece of shit. And you know what, fuck him for ever making you afraid of your face. Because your face is beautiful and nothing like his. Your face could star side by side next to John Wayne's in a western and the only thing his face could be star on, is a mugshot." That one got a watery laugh out of Reggie. 

"Seriously Reg, you might look similar to him, but you are nothing like him. You are sweet, and funny, and kickass at the bass, and a thousand times better than him. There's nothing he, or anyone, could ever do to change that, to change you. And I bet you look handsome with these bad boys on." Bobby said, holding up the thin wire glasses. Placing his other hand under Reggie's chin, he lift his head to meet his eyes. Reggie kept his eyes downcast, avoiding his boyfriend's.

"Come on, Cowboy, let me see those baby blues."

Soft blue eyes rimmed with red met his deep brown, a faint smile on his face. "There he is," Bobby whispered as he slipped the glasses onto Reggie's face. They both gasped at the same time; Reggie, because he was finally seeing his boyfriend in focus for the first time, and Bobby, because holy shit his boyfriend was so fucking cute with his glasses. 

"There, what did I tell you? Absolutely nothing like your father, only one hundred percent like my cute as fuck boyfriend!" Bobby grinned at him. Reggie snorted, a laugh bubbling up in his chest. 

"That line was dumb as shit."

"Shut up, you loved it."

"Yeah, I did."


	2. Boys' Night, Soft Light

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A short look into a Sunset Curve sleepover.

Sunset Curve sleepovers were a pretty common occurrence, so they had a whole system set into place for them.

They used any chance they could to have a sleepover. Luke did a handstand successfully for the first time and didn't crack his skull open? Sleepover. Alex's mom almost found a song he had been working on about a boy, and he needed somewhere to hide out and calm down? Sleepover. Bobby didn't get detention for not turning in his work and only got a warning? Sleepover. Reggie made a B on a history test the boys helped him study for, the best grade he made in that class all year? You better believe they had a sleepover to celebrate that. 

They were always in Bobby's garage. Not only did they already have all their instruments and equipment there so they could practice and play together, but the loft upstairs had a nice blow up mattress that they could lay on together comfortably. Plus, his grandparents were so cool. Nana was a music fanatic who could go toe to toe with Luke on obscure music knowledge and had a million CDs, vinyl, and little radios and CD players that were ready to go at a moments notice. Paps was an amazing storyteller who could keep you engaged with a simple story about a customer he ran into that day, and he was a wonderful cook who was patient with Reggie when he asked if he could help. They were just so nice and chill, and were a godsend for the boys with less than stellar guardians. 

Sometimes, the band could go all night, staying up till odd hours of the morning before passing out.

And sometimes, everything was just too much and they found themselves falling down on the air mattress as soon as they set their backpacks down.

They tended to fall asleep the same way. Alex was almost always on the right side of mattress, making it easy for him to get up during the middle of the night to go to the bathroom or change his pants to a pair of shorts to wear with his loose lounge hoodie. He brought with him his blue weighted blanket, a gift from his parents when he started becoming so affected by his anxiety that he couldn't sleep at night, before he came out to them and everything with them changed. The blanket made it so much easier for him to fall asleep, the constant weight a lovely anchor that kept him from getting lost in the ocean of his thoughts. The other boys could instant tell when Alex was sleeping well, because the drummer snored like a freight train. It wasn't terribly loud, it just echoed through the loft and bounced off the ceiling. Still, they'd rather he snored than he was so anxious he stayed up the entire night.

To Alex's left, Luke would lay, arms draped out of the pile of blankets and over the drummer and rhythm guitarist beside him. Luke was the only other one who liked the feeling of Alex's weighted blanket, Bobby liked to be able to toss and turn without anything getting caught up while he did so and Reggie felt like he was suffocating under it, but he only liked it on his lower body. He constantly slept with his arms out of any of the blankets, he didn't like the feeling of anything on top of them when he was resting. Even to bed, he wore sleeveless shirts, luckily he wore actual tank tops as pajamas instead of the shirts the vocalist took scissors to, to cut off the sleeves, like he did basically everyday. He also tended to talk in his sleep. It was never anything that made any sense, mostly just mumbles about what he was dreaming about. They all found it kind of funny, especially when the words he said during that time would pop up in new songs.

Bobby usually slept towards Luke's left. The guy was like a personal space heater with his long sleeved pajamas, he radiated heat during the day and the night, so he would sleep near the middle to warm everyone up. Reggie liked this unsaid agreement, because Bobby didn't mind when the bassist put his cold feet on his calves. He liked to sleep on either his back or his stomach, hardly ever on his sides. The rest of the band found it kind of weird, but the dude was the host of the sleepover, so no one really complained. The rhythm guitarist fidgeted a lot in his sleep, hands twitching and leg shaking. He was normally so still and calm, but at night he moved around almost constantly. They had figured out that holding his hands while they laid there helped with the fidgeting, so now when it was time for bed, someone would reach over and grasp his hands to keep them from shaking.

Reggie was always at the edge of the mattress, this time next to Bobby. He didn't mind; in fact, he preferred it that way. Sometimes his mind was louder than Alex's snoring and he would get up, going to sit on the cool tiles of the bathroom floor, until his head was as quiet as the little room. He slept curled up into whoever was laying next to him that night's side, in a little ball so the thin blanket would cover all of him. He enjoyed pressing his face into his bandmate's side and hearing their heart beat, the gentle thumping lulling him to sleep. He always drooled in his sleep, which his friends were not crazy about, but he did it on his own V-neck shirt instead of on them, so it wasn't that bad. The bassist was also not a morning person, it usually took Luke, Alex, and Bobby to convince him to get up and change out of his sleep shirt and shorts, and into some actual clothes. He was grumbly and quiet in the mornings, much to their delight, because they thought he was adorable half awake.

The old radio in the corner of the loft quietly played an slow jazz song, barely audible over the sound of the sleeping teens. Peeking through the small skylight window, the moon bathed them in a soft glow, watching over the band. 

Yeah, sleepovers were a common occurrence, but they were always just what the band needed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hoped you enjoyed this one! I just really wanted to do a soft short little character study set around a sleepover. Fun fact; Alex sleeping with a weighted blanket to help with his anxiety is something I do every night, even during the summer. Another fun fact; the hand holding the band does with Bobby while they sleep is something I used to do with an old girlfriend of mine. 10/10 would seriously recommend, especially if the person has soft hands. As always, let me know what you think, any ideas you have, or if there is anything I need to tag. Have a wonderful day!


	3. Wonderful

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luke can tell Julie is feeling down, and sings her a song to try and help her out.
> 
> Songfic with the song Wonderful from Over The Moon. (Listen to the song to help understand what's going on, and give the movie a watch because it's very good.)

Luke found Julie in the garage, sitting in front of the grand piano with her legs pulled up to her chest and her head buried in her arms. He frowned, staring at his bandmate. She had been kind of off all week; her smile didn't reach her eyes, her attitude was somber, she wasn't singing like she used to, like she had retracted back into her shell. Her mind was somewhere else, with someone who was too far away to reach. Luke knew the feeling.

"Hey Jules," he tried, sitting down next to her. She didn't move or respond, the only acknowledgement that she had noticed him was a soft sigh through her nose. That was okay. 

"Wanna talk about it? Whatever you're thinking of?" This time she turned her head, keeping her eyes trained on his shoes. "You don't have to if you don't want to." He offered. He didn't want her to feel pressured to talk to him about what was troubling her, he just wanted her to know that he was here for her. 

She sighed again, but lifted her head up to look at him. "It's just... It still hurts, you know? It feels like not so long ago she was here, with me, making music and laughing. I know I've made progress, most of the time I'm able to make it through my day with no problem. But sometimes it feels impossible to move. Like I'm taking two steps forward, but then one step back. Maybe if I just tried a little harder, these days won't be as bad. I feel stuck in a state of missing her, like a lizard trying to shed their skin to feel better but the old one keeps getting stuck."

Luke hummed in response. He knew how she felt. Well, not exactly - they were on the same page, but opposite sides. Julie lost her mother and missed her with every ounce of her being, so much that it hurt sometimes. Luke lost his parents, but he was the one who died. He could still go see them, but he couldn't touch them or talk to them, couldn't tell them that he never hated them and missed them everyday. If it hadn't been for Julie, his parents would never know he regretted fighting with them and running away, she shared his song with them. 

"Do you know what I would say to Lizard Julie?" he asked her, tilting his head to be on level with hers. She shook her head, rubbing her eye. Leaning back against the piano, he cleared his throat.

"Do you ever hug your scales?" He started singing softly. 

She squirted her eyes at him, giving a look that oozed of confusion. "What?"

He winked at Julie and smiled, continuing. "Shake your tail and make a light show?"

Jumping up, he grabbed her by the arms and pulled her up with him. "A dance of colors and hues!" He started moving. still holding her hands, spinning the two of them around in an odd little dance. "Well, I do."

Letting go of her, carefully not to let her fall over, he lifted his arms up in a 'ta-da' sort of way. "Here, right before your eyes, a bright kaleidoscope surprise! No moment is the same and that is wonderful."

She raised her eyebrow at Luke as he sang, the beginnings of a smile tugged at her lips. He grinned back at her, doing a little spin and taking her by the hands again. Suddenly, the world sank out below them, the garage melting into the pier at the beach. She gasped, a chill turning down her spine. Not in a bad way, more like surprised, 'I just transported with a ghost' kind of way. Luke looked just as surprised as she did, he had not expected that to work. That would be something to keep in mind for later. 

He let go of her right hand and began walking down the pier. It was weirdly empty for a nice evening, but that was fine with them, it meant that no one could give them odd looks when it seemed like Julie was holding onto thin air. He swung their arms, stepping in time with the beat in his head, picking up where he left off.

"Do you ever watch the Earth? Lounge around and see it floating, a swirl of white clouds and blue," She shook her head and gave his hand a squeeze, "Well, I do. It changes everyday; it spins and turns and twirls away." He twirled her, loving the laugh that she made as she enjoyed herself.

"It just keeps rollin' on and that is wonderful - hey, hey." Luke let go of her hand and poofed, appearing to her right, on the railing of the pier. The lanterns began to turn on as the sunset around them, the artificial lights light blue and the sky light pink. It looked absolutely magical. 

He began walking again, this time on the railing, his hands in his pockets. She followed beside him, arms out as she walked a straight line on the boardwalk. "Look at the world surrounding you, all possibility. Every moment we have is a chance at something," he grabbed onto a long post at the end of the railing and swung around it, "new!" He held out the note for as long as possible, clearly enjoying himself. Julie smiled at his antics. " To glow!" It was like something her mom would do. Her smile dropped, a wave of sadness hitting her like the waves hit the legs of the pier. She sank to the ground, perched on her feet with her head in her knees, like Luke had found her earlier. 

"To grow..." 

He dropped down in front of her, feeling her sorrow with her as he sang.

"Do you ever feel afraid? Curl up when you are hurting?" He began tearing up as she let out a quiet sob. "And hold your memories tight to you." Luke gently pressed his forehead against hers.

"Yeah, me too."

He pulled back and threw his arms around her in a loose hug, a tear running down his cheek and onto her shoulder.

"If you release the past, you'll move ahead and bloom at last." He gave her a squeeze as he sang to her, as he sang to himself.

"The heart grows, and it knows," Luke placed his hand on cheek, wet with tears, and lifted her head so her eyes met his, "You can glow."

"You're wonderful." He finished singing, and they stayed there, rapped tightly in the embrace of the other, slowly healing together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> God, this song kills me every time. Seriously, go watch the movie, it's so good. 
> 
> Let me know what you thought of the songfic, or the movie, what I can improve, something you would like to see, or if there's anything you need me to tag. Enjoy yourself today, <3


	4. One With The Force

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reggie and Ray have a conversation about Star Wars after a rough night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Set in modern time, with the phantoms being alive and Bobby and Trevor are two separate people.

The Star Wars theme washed over the two figures in the Molina's living room, the light in the room coming from the tv as it began the movie like it had hundreds of times before. The two people sat quietly on opposite ends of the worn couch, the air heavy with not quite tension, but of a hollow melancholy feeling that radiated of them like an old heater working with all its might to warm up a chilly house in the winter. Ray kept glancing over that the boy on the other end of the couch who had been quiet ever since he had picked him up a little while earlier. Reggie, the bassist in Julie's band, was sat with his left side pressed up against the armrest and his knees pulled up to his chest, his head resting on them. Ray could see that his eyes were watery with unshed tears as the intro of A New Hope reflected off of them.

He hated seeing the kid like this, all quiet and shy and sad. He was usually so upbeat and happy-go-lucky, if not a little dense, but all that seemed to disappear right now. Ray wasn't dumb, he knew Reggie's home life wasn't great from the way he reacted to things; flinching when voices were raised, shying away from talking about his parents, frowning when Ray hugged Julie and Carlos, not to mention Luke, Alex, and Bobby asking Ray to please not bring up meeting Reggie's parents but only sharing a knowing look when he asked why. Once or twice, he had seen bruises on the boy's face and small circular burns on his arms. It boiled his blood to think that anyone would even think of harming their child in any way, made him hug his kids a little tight and always let it be known that he was so proud of them. 

When Julie and The Phantoms began practicing in the garage regularly and Ray had finally met the boys, he had given all of them his phone number in case of emergencies. They had only used it a handful of times for small stuff, like asking him if he could help move equipment to gigs and give rides home from practices, which was why he was surprised when he was pulled out of a rather restless sleep by his phone ringing on his nightstand. The caller ID read 'Reggie' as he unplugged his phone from the charger and asked with a groggy, "Hello?"

"Hey Ray, uh, sorry to bother you, but could you come pick me up?"

"Reggie, it's one in the morning," he sighed, rubbing a hand over his tired eyes.

There was a pause, and then a sniffle, "Please."

That woke him up right away. He threw back his covers as he jumped out of bed, quickly flipping the lamp on so he could see in the dark room. "Hey, yeah, I can come get you, just hold on," he shoved his feet into his slippers and eyed his wallet, "where are you right now?" Reggie told him the address as he quietly made his way downstairs, trying not to wake up his kids but still trying to leave as soon as possible. He knew about where the boy was, knew it was a neighbor on the beach that Alex lived right by, so he shouldn't have much trouble finding the house. 

He spotted the bass player before he spotted the house, Reggie being the only person out of the sidewalk at this time of night. He stood with his shoulders hunched and his arms wrapped around himself, his signature flannel on him instead of tied around his waist. He kept his eyes to the sidewalk as Ray pulled up, the sound of arguing could be heard from the house behind him as the only other noise was the car's engine. Rolling down the window, Ray smiled at him softly, 'Hey buddy." 

He got a whispered 'Hi' back as the kid walked in front of the car and over to the passenger side door, his arms still pulled around himself as he climbed in. 

That's how they had found themselves where they were now, sitting in the living room with lights off and the volume down low with a million words unsaid between them. And honestly, the silence was killing him. Ray was the kind of person who wanted to comfort and offer support to people who were hurting, and it sucked to see a kid who was usually so full of life so small and subdued. This wasn't the bass player he knew who would always pick pizza when asked what he wanted for dinner and liked going to the park to meet and pet dogs, this was a kid who was hurting, and he was at a loss at what to do. 

"Do you want to talk about it?" he tried. Reggie shook his head as he pulled his knees closer to himself.

Okay, that was okay, he didn't have to talk about it if he didn't want to. But Ray could tell that the silence between them was killing him too. So, he tried something else, something more familiar. 

"So, why do you like Star Wars?" A starting point, a conversation starter.

He saw the bassist make a small smile and shift around out of the corner of his eye, opening up his posture a little more so he was facing him a better.

"Well, I guess because it's a 'Hero's Journey' story, so it's familiar like most stories and movies, but it's still different enough for it to be its own property in a sea of similar franchises. And the characters kind of remind me of my friends. Like, Luke would be Han Solo, because he's so cool and confident, and they both have awesome hair. Alex is like C-3PO, all nervous but essential to the story and Luke Skywalker's best friend, but he doesn't like when I compare the two of them together, because he doesn't think he's like 'that annoying robot'. And Bobby is kind of like Chewbacca, because he grunts more than he talks, plus him and our Luke have been friends forever. Julie is definitely Princess Leia because they're both so awesome and she takes no nonsense from the band. Carlos is R2-D2, he's the smallest out of all of them and he's pretty funny. Flynn is Rey, even though she's not in the original trilogy, but she's cool like Flynn is. Oh, and Willie is definitely Po, because they're both charismatic and Alex thought Po was super cute when we saw The Force Awakens. Huh, maybe that would Alex Finn? But, I like to think that I'm like Luke Skywalker - kind of new to everything but still trying to make things better in their world."

Reggie practically lit up as he began talking about his favorite movie and his friends. He started smiling as he got deeper into the topic, mind taken off of whatever was upsetting him earlier. It made Ray happy to see the kid more like himself, talking with his hands and almost bouncing up and down in his spot. 

"And I always know that whatever happens, the good guys are going to come out on top and defeat the bad guys. Han's always going to become unfrozen, Leia's always going to become an awesome general, and Luke is always going to defeat his dad..."

He trailed off after this, shrinking in on himself and becoming quiet again. Ray frowned as he looked at the kid. Why did he stop? He seemed to really be enjoying talking about something he was interested in, but now he looked like he was trying to go back to the uncomfortable silence they had sat in before. Was it something he had said? He was perking up until he mentioned Luke defeating the bad guys and his dad... 

Oh.

Ray tilted his head and let out a sad sigh. Poor kid. Clearly he was hurting more than he let on, and Ray had a feeling he knew why Reggie asked him to pick him up. 

He put a hand on the boy's shoulder and when he turned to look at him, opened up his arms in a wordless motion that he hoped Reggie would understand as the offer of a hug. 

Reggie stared at him a minute with watery eyes. His face began to screw up as the tears began to flow, and he all but threw himself into the hug Ray had offered. Ray sat there, still for a second, before he wrapped the kid up in a tight comforting hug. Rubbing a circle on his back like he did when one of his own children were upset, he pressed a soft kiss to the top of Reggie's head as he cried. 

"It's okay, buddy, let it all out. You're safe here, I got you," he hoped Reggie knew he was here for him. He hoped that he knew he would always be safe here. It was okay, it was going to be okay.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed it, I spent all afternoon working on it, as well as staying up late to finish it. Let me know if you have any requests or ideas, or if there is something I need to tag! Have a wonderful day!


End file.
